Honeymoon in Basra

IT is hardly likely to figure in a list of dream destinations for a honeymoon. But a newlywed couple who became sweethearts while serving in the armed forces will be spending their first six months as man and wife on the frontline in Basra - and they'll be living apart.

IT is hardly likely to figure in a list of dream destinations for a honeymoon.

But a newlywed couple who became sweethearts while serving in the armed forces will be spending their first six months as man and wife on the frontline in Basra - and they'll be living apart.

Katie Needham and Kenneth Ayrey, both 19, are medics with 1 Close Support Medical Regiment. They met in the back of an ambulance going to a training exercise in Poland nearly a year ago.

As love blossomed they talked about marriage and put any plans on hold until after their tour of duty. But while discussing their wills it struck them how much they loved each other - and they decided the ceremony could not wait.

In front of more than 50 family and friends, including Katie's parents Christine and Trevor who travelled from Hyde, the couple exchanged vows at St George's Church in their base at York Barracks, Munster in north west Germany.

Now Katie, from Hyde, a combat medic, is preparing to be part of an ambulance crew responding to emergencies in Iraq. Kenneth is an ambulance driver.

They will never be teamed up because it's feared it could affect their ability to focus on tasks in challenging conditions.

A proper honeymoon, at a destination Kenneth is keeping secret, is planned for next year.